About

Wales and the Welsh people experienced the Great War at sea in numerous ways. Bringing together historians, archaeologists, marine scientists, museums and community groups across Wales, the U-Boat Project, 1914-18: Commemorating the War at Sea tells their stories.

The U-Boat Project 1914-18 is a collaboration between the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, Bangor University and the Nautical Archaeology Society. The project is further supported by a network of maritime museums, community and history groups across Wales. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the project is using the latest imaging techniques to reveal underwater wrecks from the Great War, and is supporting coastal communities around Wales to tell their previously untold stories about the Great War at Sea.

Through a mixture of open access online material, a travelling exhibition, free public talks and activity days for the whole family, the U-Boat Project provides unprecedented access to the remains of vessels on the seabed which are part of Wales’s heritage. The research undertaken by the partners uncovers the previously untold stories about the Great War in Welsh waters.

The Royal Commission is working together with an established network of maritime museums and volunteers to find and present a wealth of historical information about each of the wrecks highlighted on this website. This historical dimension is rounded out by the geophysical surveys. The captured high-resolution data of several wrecks, as well as underwater video footage shows the ecology and biodiversity of the wreck sites. This work is being carried out by the Centre for Applied Marine Sciences at Bangor University. During the lifespan of the U-Boat Project, the Marine Conservation Society’s Seasearch initiative are gathering ecological information from the wrecks. Also as part of the project, the Nautical Archaeology Society are providing training in underwater archaeology for sports divers at two sites in north and west Wales.